Inductive (wireless) LED toy

****Update 22.10.24:****  Adding a lid, that closes the underside of the base, trapping the USB lead and plug.

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I bought one of these little DIY sets that you can get from Aliexpress and tried to make it into a more presentable toy.

These little kits work by supplying power to the tiny LEDs using a larger inductor (the copper coil) similar to what is used in cordless phone chargers. The tiny LEDs have their own little inductor mounted to them, that receives the power and lights up the LED when placed in the proximity of the big coil.

This project involves pausing the print and placing the electronic bits into position before you continue. No MMU or multi-head printer is needed here.

Print the little LED things right side up with one color change at the first layer that covers the recess. During the color change, drop the LED into the recess (verify orientation :-)). It must NOT stick out at the top. The top layers of filament should be transparent.

The base needs one print pause (basically a color change, where you insert the same filament again) at the first layer that covers the recess for the copper coil. You need support material for the hollow base, but make sure you leave the area around the hole and the opening at the side of the base without support material (I used the support paint tool in Prusa slicer). When positioning the coil during the pause you need the space there to thread the copper wires through so they are out of the way for the final layers of printing. Use a few drops of CA glue to make sure the coil stays put until it is trapped securely by the print.

I can say this is the one time I regretted putting my printer into an enclosure ;-) since access to the print during a print pause isn't so easy. Also make sure you don't rip the print off the print bed during the placement of the electronics.

I used a tiny bit of double-sided foam tape to mount the little PCB.

I added my OpenScad design file - extremely simple geometry for this one. This should be an easy exercise for an OpenScad beginner to read and understand. Happy printing and let us see your makes.